


Charitable Donation

by assholemurphy



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, Not Beta Read, Tumblr Prompt AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 03:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3794398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assholemurphy/pseuds/assholemurphy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the prompt 'You bought me at a charity auction and I think you might be a serial killer' for monty-greeen on tumblr.</p>
<p>Monty volunteers to be auctioned off for Clarke's charity of the month and Murphy, a rich, rude, and frankly annoying, trust fund baby buys him. It's rough at first, but Murphy's a gentleman, even if he is an ass, and it doesn't take too long for them to get along, but mishaps are always in the cards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charitable Donation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Monty-Greeen](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Monty-Greeen).



> Trust fund baby!Murphy and Annoyed with all of these damn rich people!Monty have become my favorite thing ever, thank you for the prompt, dear, I hope you like it. :)

 

Murphonty AU : 'You bought me at a charity auction and I think you might be a serial killer'

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Monty asked as he straightened his tie for what had to be the fiftieth time that hour.

“It's a great idea, just relax and go with it. Besides, you promised Clarke we'd do this for her, remember?” Jasper shrugged, unaffected by his best friend's nerves. “And if you don't stop that you're going to choke yourself.”

“What if it's a disaster, Jasper? What if I trip or no one wants to buy me?” He was awkward and his suit was boring and too stiff and it was terrible and he really wished Clarke had let him dress himself but apparent;y she wanted everyone to look 'presentable' and Monty's normal wardrobe didn't qualify.

“I'd buy you.” Jasper tried to reassure him, bumping his shoulder into Monty's.

“You can't bid, you don't count.” Monty shook his head, knotting his fingers together anxiously. They, and several other volunteers, had been been ushered into it moments ago in preparation for the auction to begin.

Clarke had arranged a charity date auction for her new cause of the month, this time it was saving the rain forest, last month had been some sort of gala dance or something, he'd sat that one out. This time around, however, Clarke had asked him to volunteer as a 'bachelor' and he'd agreed, if only because he'd yet to learn how to say no to her. The only upside was that he'd managed to drag Jasper, Miller, Monroe, and Harper down with him. If he had to stand up on stage in an uncomfortable suit with a tie that wouldn't stay fixed and be sold to some over dressed donor that was going to use him as an accessory for whatever event they had coming up next, then so did they. Friends don't let friends be sold to creepy rich people alone.

“Okay, could you look here, please? Thank you.” Clarke's voice interrupted Monty's thoughts. “There are some basic guidelines for the auction and the dates after we need to go over, just in case any of you didn't read the email I sent,” She paused with a glare at Jasper who simply shrugged in response. “The buyer is allowed to choose one event to take you to, as their date, however, if you feel uncomfortable with either the buyer or the event planned, you're under no obligation to go through with it and we'll refund the buyer's money, no questions asked. You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with, this is a date, nothing more. The money goes towards saving the rain forest and protecting the homes of the wildlife that lives there, so thank you again for volunteering for this.” She gave them all a smile and pointed towards the door, “Let's go save the rain forest!”

A group cheer went up that Monty didn't participate in. He was terrified of standing on that stage, of having all of those people looking at him, judging him, he was going to trip or say something stupid, he knew it. He never did well around rich people, they had so many rules and manners that he just didn't get.

“Come on, man, you don't want to be last up, do you?” Jasper urged, nudging him in the direction of the door. He followed numbly, going over the list of things Clarke had told him to do. _Stand up straight, smile, breathe, just breathe and you'll be fine, Monty, they're not going to judge you, you aren't going to mess up, you'll do fine._

He ended up being last, anyway, so he stood on stage at the end of the row of volunteers waiting to be bid on, a smile he hoped didn't look forced on his face. He was all nerves and he didn't understand how Jasper could be so confident about this. Maybe it was because he'd grown up in this environment, constantly surrounded by these type of people, he was probably used to being judged and had just decided he didn't care. He waited there as all the others were bid on and sold, leaving just him next to Clarke as she called for the bidding to begin.

Monty tuned it out, looking to the side where he saw Jasper, flirting effortlessly with some young woman who had bought him. When he looked up, he gave Monty a reassuring smile and a thumbs up, making Monty roll his eyes. He turned his gaze back to the crowd just as he heard the words 'Ten thousand.' He had no idea who had said it, but he nearly fell over. That was, that was too much. Way too much. No one else had gone that high, that was ridiculous, couldn't be possible. It was a joke or a prank or someone seriously had too much money if they were willing to pay that much for him.

Clarke grabbed his shoulders and guided him down the steps, squeaking excitedly about 'highest bid tonight' and 'whoever he is, he must really like you' but Monty didn't catch any of it, he felt like he was going to throw up.

She left him by the punch table after giving him a hug and thanking him for participating before she left to seek out Wells and told him the good news. Jasper sidled up to his side, cup in hand. “Clarke wouldn't let me spike it.” He muttered, gazing into his punch with a forlorn expression. “But I wish she had, cause buddy, you're going to need it. You just got bought by Murphy.”

“Murphy?” Monty knew he'd heard the name before, but he had no idea who it belonged to. However, the way Jasper said it had Monty worried.

“Yeah, he's friends with Bellamy so he's around sometimes, you probably haven't met him yet, but you're going to soon. He's kind of a creep, like, I don't know what the guy's problem is but he's always trying to start shit with Bell. Also, his mom died like, last year, so he inherited everything recently, which is probably why he spent so much on the auction.” Jasper told him. “And there's a rumor going around that Murphy killed his dad when he was sixteen, but no one could prove it. Like I said, he's a creep.”

“Creeps have feelings, too, Jasper.” A voice came from behind Monty, startling him and making Jasper's eyes go wide with terror. “And rumors are very hurtful.”

“Oh, yeah, right, sorry, Murphy, I was just-”

“Shut up, Jasper.”

“Yes, okay.” Jasper nodded, taking the out. “I'll see you later, Monty. I've got a, you know, that thing, over there.” Jasper pointed vaguely and took off muttering, “Way over there,” and leaving Monty alone with the man Jasper had called Murphy.

Monty slowly turned around, taking a deep breath and trying to convince himself not to run away, too. Jasper had a way of blowing things out of proportion, Murphy was probably just a normal rich guy or- No, no, he wasn't normal. Monty forgot how to speak, looking at the man in front of him. He looked like he was ready to kill him and maybe the rumor was right, maybe he was a killer and had only bought Monty so he could be his next victim? A very, very hot killer, though, even Monty had to admit that. Maybe being murdered by this guy wouldn't be too unpleasant.

“I'm Murphy, John Murphy, I'm the one who bought you.” Murphy stuck a hand out for Monty to shake.

He took it, hesitantly, and gave it a shake before letting go almost immediately. “I'm Monty Green. Nice to, uh, meet you.”

“Sure. The event I need you to accompany me to is tomorrow, Saturday at around seven. I'll pick you up about that time, so be ready.” Murphy informed him, his tone cold and professional, a demeanor that definitely matched his appearance, even if it did grate on Monty's nerves. “Do you have a suit other than that one?”

Monty frowned, what kind of question was that? His suit was fine and Murphy had no business suggesting otherwise. His confusion must have shown on his face because Murphy sighed and pressed on.

“I'll have one sent to you, Clarke has your measurements, right?”

“Yes, but I like this one just fine, thank you.”

“Too bad. I need you to actually look presentable, not like you just stepped out of your seventh grade Christmas program.”

“Excuse me.”Monty muttered. _Fucking rich people._ “Fine, whatever. Do what you want, I need to find Jasper before he spikes the punch or something equally stupid.”

“He's not going to, Miller seems to be playing guard dog.”

“And that's supposed to be reassuring?”

“No, not really.” Murphy shrugged, smirking. “But, before you run away from me, I need your address.”

“Why?” Monty asked, immediately suspicious.

“So I know where to pick you up at and where to send the suit. You know, I'm beginning to think I was lied to, they said you were smart.”

“Smart enough not to give my address to people who might just be out to kill me.” Monty grumbled, crossing his arms. “You have a pen?”

“I have a phone.” Murphy acted like he wasn't affected by Monty's words, but his smirk disappeared. He pulled out his phone and looked at Monty, expectant. Monty rattled off his address and Murphy typed it in, reading it back to him for confirmation. “Alright, now you can run away from me.”

“I'm not-” But he was, kind of. “Sorry.”

“It's fine.” The way he said it made Monty completely sure it wasn't fine, but he accepted it, anyway, and took off after Jasper. Even if the rumor was false, and Monty was willing to bet it was, Jasper had been right about the creepy part. Murphy was by far the least sociable person he'd met so far. Maybe being rich meant you didn't have to be nice, you could just pay people to tolerate you.

_-_-_-_

 

Monty scowled as he looked in the mirror. He had to admit, the suit was a lot nicer than the one he'd worn before, it was perfectly tailor -at least, he thought so, but what did he know- and made him look very nice, but he could tell just by looking at it that it was well out of his price range, and it pissed him off that Murphy just assumed he was alright with it. No, he hadn't assumed Monty would be okay with it, he didn't care whether Monty was okay with it, and that was even worse. He was going to wear it, but only because Murphy seemed like the type of guy he didn't want to purposely piss off, which, of course, only made Monty want to piss him off more, but that was a childish urge and he wasn't going to give in to it. If he messed this up, Clarke would be upset, she'd forgive him, but still, ten thousand dollars was a lot to lose. He would do it, and he'd be civil about it, even if it killed him, and according to Jasper, Murphy just might.

Once dressed and ready, he waited, playing around on his phone until the buzzer rang, letting him know someone was waiting for him outside. He jumped up, racing over to the intercom, “Hello?”

“Monty Green?” Murphy's voice came through the static, sounding uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I'll be down in a second.” He grabbed his jacket and keys and left, locking the door behind him and taking the stairs down. He didn't trust the elevator in the building, it was old and Monty had no desire to be on it when it finally croaked. He made it to the lobby faster than usual, admitting to himself that maybe he was a little excited. Nervous, yes, incredibly so, but also curious. Jasper had told him more about Murphy, and how nobody called him John or the risked getting punched, and Monty had to say, he was fully convinced Murphy was an asshole, but probably not a killer. Bellamy had reassured him of that.

“Ready to go?” Murphy asked as soon as he was out the door. “Did the suit fit?”

“Yes.” Monty assured him, rolling his eyes. He stood on the side walk, arms spread and turned in a circle so Murphy could see and approve so they could get this over with. “Good?”

“Very.” Murphy nodded, smiling slightly, the first time Monty had seen him do that. It was actually kind of nice, Murphy should do it more often, not that Monty was going to say so. 'You look very nice.”

“Thanks.”

“You're going to have to stop with the one word answers when we get there, you know.”

“Okay.” That one was just because he was being a little shit and not because he didn't want to answer, and he found great amusement in Murphy's eye roll.

“Fine. Whatever. Just get in the car so we can get this over with, since you obviously don't want to be here.” Murphy sighed, heading for a car that was actually a lot less flashy than Monty expected.

Monty looked at him for a minute, wondering if he'd upset him. He probably had, he hadn't been the nicest around him, though, neither had Murphy, but, regardless, “I didn't mean to offend you.”

“You didn't.” Murphy shrugged, unlocking the car and opening the passenger door for Monty. “It's understandable. I wouldn't want to hang around a killer, either.”

Monty ducked his head and got in the car, tapping his fingers restlessly against his leg. Okay, maybe that's what he had thought about Murphy, so what? The guy was cold and rude and, well, Monty had been just as rude to him, so he couldn't use that as an excuse. He waited until they were driving before speaking, “I'm sorry. Bellamy told me that the rumor was fake and Jasper has a big mouth and I'm sorry I kind of believed it. I know it's not true, okay? I'm just, not very good with rich people, especially not ones who treat me like an accessory.”

“Have I done that?”

“The suit? You didn't exactly give me a choice in how you dressed me. I'm not a doll. And you haven't been very nice yourself, you know.”

“I've been polite. But you're right, I should have asked if you were alright with the suit, my apologies.”

Monty rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might fall out. Was Murphy always so _stiff?_ Did he ever just interact with people without treating it like a business affair? “Polite, right. What is it with you people and your 'politeness?' Are you incapable of being civil without turning into robots?”

“'You people?' Jasper is one of 'us people,' too, so Clarke, you have no problems with them.”

“They don't act like robots.”

“I'm not good with people, alright? I'm not what you would call 'sociable.' Sorry to disappoint.” Murphy snapped.

“Have you ever tried?”

“Yes. It didn't work out. You can ask Bellamy about that, since they seem to be so willing to tell you about me.”

“Excuse me for wanting to know something about the person I'm going to be _'dating'_ for the evening. It's not like you stuck around to do that yourself.”

“I had places to be. Only dropped in to save the whales.”

“Rain forest. And I'm sure they'll be grateful for your donation.” Which was something Monty wanted to ask about, but he didn't want to risk offending Murphy further. _Why had he spent so much for one date that didn't seem like it was going to go well, anyway?_

“That, too. Hope it saves a couple parrots. I like parrots, they seem like they'd be great company.”

“I'm sure it will. It's going to save a lot of plants, too.” Monty nodded, refraining from mentioning that Murphy could just _buy_ a parrot or two if he wanted.

“Yeah? Gonna save some trees and grass as well as some birds. Look at me, I'm Captain America.”

“Not just grass and trees, you know, there's some really cool species of plants that only grow there, or at least originated there. Like the Heliconia, the parrot flower. It's got these leaves that wrap around the flowers to protect them so pretty much only hummingbirds can get to them and the leaf things, bracts, actually, are really pretty, they're like red and green and sometimes purple. They're really cool. There's forty different species and they're found in the Neotropics, like Central and South America, the Indies, and parts of southern Mexico.” Monty explained, eyes bright and smiling. “Then there's stuff like coffee and bananas that originate from rain forests. Also cacao, which is chocolate and-” Monty stopped, biting his lip. “Sorry, you don't care, do you? I can get carried away sometimes.”

“It's fine, I don't mind.” Murphy turned to him, giving him a smile that made Monty's insides twist. _Since when did he like this guy at all?_ “They're called parrot flowers?”

“Also lobster claws. The pink ones are really pretty.” Monty nodded, returning the smile before realizing Murphy was paying attention to him and not the road, “Eyes on the road! You're going to get us killed.”

“Fine, fine, sorry.” Murphy chuckled, turning back to the road. “Not as nice of a view, though.”

Monty blushed, refusing to look at Murphy or consider how nice it felt to have his attention. He hadn't shut him down like Monty had expected, he'd actually listened to his rant about plants. Not many people did that, other than his friends, but they kind of had to put up with it.

“You have a thing for flowers or something?”

“Plants, actually. It's what I'm studying at the University, well, it's my minor, anyway. More of a hobby than anything.”

“Oh, so what's your major, then?”

“Computer Science and Engineering. Double Major.”

“How the hell do you keep up with coursework?”

“I have no life.” Monty shrugged. “Other than helping out Clarke, but considering it's break right now, there's really not much to do other than get drunk and pretend the next semester isn't coming and I've already got a degree and a job and then cry when I sober up and realize I've wasted my life and have buried myself in debt with no hope of ever finding an actual career because the economy is slowly collapsing and no one's hiring.”

“Sounds like a very full schedule.”

“Yup. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you go to University?”

“Nope. I'm one of those trust fund babies, you now? Never have to work, spend their days on yachts, and throw wild parties narrowly avoiding arrest because their parents were well respected members of society, however the fuck they managed that, I don't know.”

“So you do nothing?” That sounded incredibly boring to Monty, but then again, he supposed it was preferable to stressing over deadlines and due dates.

“No, I do things. I donate to charities and take pretty boys to boring events full of people I don't know but have to pretend to like because my parents did. And I write sometimes.”

“You write?” So he did do something.

“Sometimes.”

“What do you write?” Monty pressed, interested. Murphy wasn't acting like the cold asshole he'd come to think he was and this other side was pretty charming, if Monty was honest.

“Stuff.” Murphy shrugged. “Some short stories and things. Nothing great. It's a hobby, kept me busy when I was a kid, kept me out of the way, and I just got better at it over the years. Even got published once.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, made a bit of my own money for once. Not that it matters, but it was nice, and it meant people liked my writing, or at least liked the cover enough to buy it. Or needed firewood and couldn't find a tree.” He joked, pulling up in front of the building where the event was being held. Monty still didn't know what it was for.

“The event, it's-”

“Birthday party, I think. Some asshole who knew my mom has a brat that's turning eighteen and he decided to throw a party, because every eighteen year old wants a party full of people they don't know talking about boring shit they don't care about. It's a business opportunity for him, that's all.”

“Oh. So, do I need to do anything specific? Like, what fork do I use?”

“Whatever one you want to. It's just a fork, anyone says something, stab them with it.” Murphy answered, giving Monty useless directions. “Just act normal, they're people, just like you. Only richer and ruder and probably having more fun than either of us will.”

“Reassuring.”

“Yup.” Murphy sighed, exiting the car and coming round to Monty's side, opening his door for him and holding out his arm once Monty had straighten up, looking around in awe at how overboard it all seemed. He took the offered arm and let Murphy lead him in, pausing only for Murphy to give his keys to the valet and let the man at the door know who they were. “John Murphy and plus one have arrived. Let's go pretend to care about people.”

Monty snorted, shaking his head. He hoped the night wouldn't be that bad, maybe he'd make it through this after all, Murphy seemed not to be as uptight as he'd first assumed. This may not end in disaster after all.

An hour and a half of socializing later, he was beginning to think he spoke too soon. So far he'd managed to nearly knock over two vases, pissed off three old ladies, accidentally, but still, and had somehow managed to accidentally convince a group of men that he and Murphy had been dating for a year and were considering marriage. He wasn't sure how that had happened, but Murphy had been no help whatsoever in fixing the situation. The next person to congratulate him on his engagement was going to get pushed into the dam fountain, he was done.

Murphy, however, seemed to be amused by the whole situation, and had, after wishing the birthday girl a happy birthday, saw fit to introduce Monty to nearly everybody. 'For appearances' he'd said, but Monty was convinced it was because he was an asshole who liked to watch him squirm under pressure and could this night get any worse?

“Murphy, do you have to talk to every person who's ever known your parents, like, ever? Because if not, then we should find a nice quiet place and sit down before I die of embarrassment.”

“Nonsense, you're doing fine. They love you.”

“They love laughing at me.”

“Well, yeah, if you have to find the negative in everything.”

“Murphy.”

“Okay, okay, let's get something to drink, alright? No talking to anybody for a little bit.” Murphy gave in, steering them both towards a server carrying a tray of drinks. He grabbed two from the tray, carefully trying not to tip it over and handed one to Monty before maneuvering through the crowd until they found an unoccupied bench where the could sit and not be bothered by people constantly.

Monty sat, sighing as he leaned back only to snap upright a second later when he felt Murphy tugging on his jacket, “Can I help you?”

Murphy said nothing for a second, instead unbuttoning Monty's coat, “You're supposed to undo that when you sit down.”

“And you couldn't just tell me that?” Monty asked, indignant. He was more than capable of undressing himself, thank you. Not that he planned to get undressed here, or that he would object t be undressed by Murphy under different circumstances, yes, he was an asshole, but he was a very hot asshole, and that was the difference, but not here, maybe somewhere else, there was a room he'd seen earlier- He'd gotten off track, and couldn't remember his original point, but _still._

“I could have.” Murphy shrugged, taking a sip from his glass, “But it wouldn't have been half as amusing.”

“You're an ass.”

“So I've been told.”

“You should work on it, then.”

“I'm kind of okay with it, actually.”

Monty rolled his eyes and took a drink. “So, you're a writer but you socialize with these people  _ why? _ ” 

“I said writing was a hobby. I still have to take care of the family business, too, and that means pretending to be likable enough for them to consider me more than an acquaintance but not quite likable enough for them to consider me a friend. It's a full time job, I assure you. These people are like Satan, they're draining and terrible and I'd much rather not be here.”

“So, what is the family business?”

“I don't actually know. I think it was stocks in the beginning, but now it's kind of a lot of things, but there's a board that takes care of it, so I just show up, say something nice, and I'm done.”

“Being nice is so tiring.”

“I would rather hula dance in front of a crowd of evil hyenas than go to one of these.”

“Lion King, nice.”

“Hakuna Matata.” Murphy agreed. Downing the rest of his drink. Monty wasn't sure exactly what it was, he was assuming champagne, but he didn't particularly care.

Noticing all the people disappearing into another room, Monty groaned, “Does this mean we have to go back now?”

“That's exactly what it means. Relax, it's going to be fine. They like you a lot more than they like me, and besides, it's food, that's enough incentive to put up with them a little longer, isn't it?” He asked, standing up and stretching, giving a quiet moan that Monty was going to do his best to forget about, before holding out a hand to help Monty up.

He didn't need it but he accepted it anyway, giving Murphy a smile in thanks. “I suppose it is.”

“Good. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were just eager to get away from me.”

“Not really. Just them, your choice in company is terrible. You know, if you want to take someone on a date, you should skip the annoying event and just go for dinner and a movie.” Monty joked.

“I'll keep that in mind for next time, then.” Murphy laughed.

Monty's heart jumped at the thought of a next time, a second date with Murphy, he wasn't going to hold his breath, this was just a one off thing, but he could still hope.

They made their way to the room where tables had been set up, Monty found it a bit over kill, but then again, rich people did weird things, and found their seats. He raised an eyebrow wen Murphy pulled his out for him but said nothing, he was an ass, but he was a polite one. This was a pretty nice date, he had to admit, despite all the people he'd had to interact with.

He changed him mind a few minutes later when he accidentally knocked over a wine glass, dying the previously white cloth, and part of Murphy's suit, a deep red. “Fuck, I'm sorry, I-”

“It's alright.” Murphy shushed him, setting the glass back up.

Monty grabbed a napkin and began trying to clean up his mess, starting with Murphy's suit. It wasn't working and he was just making it worse but he was too embarrassed to do anything but mutter apologies.

“It's fine, Monty. It's a suit.”

“And a tablecloth and people are staring, Murphy.”

“Stare back.”

“I can't, they're judging me because I screwed up. I knew I was going to screw up. I'm not cut out for this.” Monty continued freaking out despite Murphy's efforts to get him to calm down.

“Monty. Monty, stop, you're causing a scene, just let it go.” Murphy tried to calm him down to no avail.

“I'm going to- I need- Fuck.” Monty stood up, he arm catching on his plate and sending it toppling. He was just making everything worse and he needed to leave before he could screw up any more, and, oh, _fuck._ He stepped back, backing into a server carrying a tray of glasses, sending those crashing to the floor and he had caused so much trouble in such a short time, everything had been going fine but he'd fucked it all up and he had to get away.

Monty ran. 

He ran out of the room and didn't stop until he was over two blocks away from the building, panting and panicking as he leaned against the wall. He'd really screwed everything up. Murphy was probably being laughed at for bringing an incompetent loser of a date and he was never, ever going to speak to him again and Monty had really messed this one up. He had even begun to like the guy, too, and now he'd be lucky if Murphy bothered to acknowledge him the next time they saw each other.

He took a couple deep breaths to calm himself and stood up, pulling out his phone to call a cab. He wanted to go home and curl up in a ball for the next twelve hours and not think about what a fool he'd made of himself. Thankfully, a cab showed up quickly and he was home within fifteen minutes, mainly due to the cabbie's near homicidal driving.

He wanted to sleep and not wake up for six years, or at least until everyone forgot what a fool he'd made of himself.

_-_-_-_

 

“I should not be doing this again.”

“But you are because I need you to. You'll be fine. It was an accident, they happen. Besides, the auction brought in a lot of money and doing it again was a unanimous decision, and you brought in the most last time.” Clarke explained to him for the millionth time.

“Yeah, but I screwed that up pretty badly, didn't I?” Monty scoffed. He hadn't agreed this time so much as been forced and bribed in equal parts, but he was still adamant it was going to end just as bad as the first.

“You won't mess this one up. Trust me, you'll do fine.”

“Fine, whatever, let's just get this over with.” He groaned, taking his place on stage.

He hadn't seen Murphy in over a month, none of his friends had, or if they had, they weren't telling. It was well enough, though, because Monty didn't think he could look at him after the mess he'd made. He screwed up so badly and he'd caused Murphy to hate him and he shouldn't be as torn up about it as he was, especially with it being a stupid 'charity date' anyway. Murphy never actually liked him and if Monty had some feelings on his part, well, he needed to suck it up and deal with the fact that Murphy was never going to speak to him again so he should just forget it.

He wasn't last this time, but he wasn't first, so he still had to wait for a few others to be auctioned before it was his turn. Maybe if he was lucky no one would bid. They'd all probably heard about what he did and maybe no one would want to bid on him so he couldn't screw anything else up. He could hope.

His hopes were dashed, however, when the bidding began. It seemed people were a lot more forgiving when it wasn't them you'd embarrassed. He'd just resigned himself to being won by some unfamiliar balding man in the front row when one last bid was called out.

“Ten thousand.” Monty's stomach dropped, recognizing the voice immediately. Murphy was back, but why he was bidding on Monty, he didn't know.

The balding man glared at the newcomer, clenching his jaw and calling out “Eleven thousand.”

Murphy rolled his eyes, staring the man down as he said, voice steady and challenging, “Twenty-five thousand. And I will go higher if I have to. You should spend some of that money on some new hair, buddy, you look pathetic.”

Monty couldn't help but crack a smile, but his face dropped when Murphy disappeared into the crowd without looking back at him. He was ushered off stage by Clarke who still had more volunteers to auction off. He wondered if she was shocked by the amount Murphy was willing to pay. He was but at the same time he wasn't. Murphy struck him as the kind of guy who got what he wanted, regardless of what it cost him.

He stood off to the side where he'd been the last time, waiting for Murphy. As soon as he saw him, he scowled, “Why'd you buy me?”

“A 'hello' would be nice.” Murphy grumbled, stepping up next to Monty so he could speak. Monty noticed he looked much different this time, his hair wasn't slicked back and he'd ditched the suit jacket for a vest and tie, making him look younger and more approachable, Monty wondered if it was on purpose. It probably was, but the paper wrapped bundle in his hand was confusing, to say the least.

“Hello, why did you buy me?” Murphy had to be angry at him for what happened, so Monty honestly had no idea why he'd been so adamant about winning him.

“Look, I'm sorry. The even thing was a huge accident and I should have helped you out instead of sitting there like an idiot. I know you're probably really upset with me and I'm sorry. I just thought at the very least I could buy a conversation? Maybe get a second chance?”

_ Murphy  _ was sorry? Murphy wasn't the one who'd ruined the event. Monty shook his head, “I'm the one who screwed up.” Was all he could say. Murphy wasn't the one who needed a second chance.

“It was an accident, it wasn't your fault. I tried to find you after you ran off but I couldn't and then there was damage control, “ He held up a finger to stop Monty's oncoming apology, “Again, not your fault, and by the time the let me go I couldn't find you anywhere and Clarke said you were upset so I thought you were angry with me so I didn't want to disturb you and then I heard about the auction and Bellamy mentioned you'd volunteered again, so, here I am, asking for a second date. And these are for you.” He held the paper wrapped bundle out to Monty, “You said you liked plants, and, well, I just thought, you know-”

“Thank you.” Monty cut off his rambling and receiving a grateful smile in return. “But are you sure you want a date with me? There's still others up there, and I'm sure we could switch, if you wanted, if you've got another event that you need a date for.”

“I don't want a date with one of them. I want a date with you, actually. If you'll agree.”

Monty nodded, shocked but happy. He'd really begun to like Murphy and he wasn't about to refuse him a second date, especially if he was willing to overlook Monty's complete fuck up. “Yeah, of course. Do you have another event to go to?”

“Yeah, dinner and a movie, and I really can't go alone.” Murphy gave him a crooked smile, waiting for an answer.

“Well, if that's the case, I'd love to.” Monty nodded. “When?”

“Tonight?”

“That's a bit soon.”

“I waited a month thinking you hated me.” Murphy reasoned. “But if you'd rather-”

“Tonight is fine. Should I wear a suit again?”

“No, god, no. Those things are uncomfortable and boring. How about we both get changed into something more suitable for a real date and I'll pick you up at six?”

“Deal.” Monty grinned. He had a second chance and there was a lot less that could go wrong this way, he had no one to impress but Murphy, and he wasn't too concerned about that. He hesitated a second before lifting himself up on his tiptoes and planting a kiss on Murphy's cheek, “See you at six.”

Monty turned away, blushing and leaving Murphy standing there stunned with a stupid grin on his face. Yeah, this date would definitely go better, and hopefully there'd be plenty more to come.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback is loved. Find me here [assholemurphy](http://assholemurphy.tumblr.com/)


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